The key to social media success, is being able to understand your audience. Without this key ability, you’ll find it hard to get inside the minds of consumers – tapping into what they really want.
Here are 4 basic psychology tips that can help you to improve the effectiveness of social media marketing:
1) Why People Share Content Online
Have you ever wondered why you share content online? According to a study by the New York Times, there are several reasons why we do this across social media platforms.
The first reason, is that we want to improve the lives of others. 94% of people who participated in the study, said that they share content because they feel it will improve the lives of their friends, family and colleagues.
When you work in marketing. It’s important to create content that will help to improve the lives of your audience, as this will enable you to build a bond with them – strengthening your brand.
People share content in order to define themselves. 68% of participants identified that they share content in order to show off their personality, their individuality, and to create an identity – their online persona. Think about whether your content would be shared by your audience, as part of their online image.
The study found that people share content in order to grow relationships – to help them to stay connected across social media. Think about how you can generate content that facilitates this social exchange between people online, as it will enable them to talk about you and your service.
2) Colour Psychology
The psychology of colour has long been debated by academics, but its importance in social media marketing strategy is paramount.
A study known as “Impact of Color On Marketing” showed that people make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interaction with a product. 62% to 90% of the assessment is based on colour, as the sole factor.
The main idea behind the assessment, is whether the colour itself suits your service or brand. Nearly all academic studies on colour and branding, suggest that it’s more important for your brand’s colour to be in support of the personality you wish to convey. Avoiding stereotypical colour association is paramount.
3) Building Trust With An Audience
Would you buy a TV from a shady dude on the corner of the street? Probably not. We don’t buy from people we don’t trust, so why would your audience buy from you if you gave off the wrong vibe?
According to some economists, oxytocin is a chemical in the human body that has come to be known as “the trust hormone”. It’s a feel-good chemical that is released from the brain when someone feels accepted, for example.
People are more likely to change their behaviours when the results will make them feel good about themselves, so it’s important that you make your audience feel like you value them, and that you can be trusted with their custom.
4) Emotions Are Infectious
According to the journal of The Association For Psychological Science, evoking some emotions can help to increase the chance that a message will be shared. This study explained that sharing of stories and information online, may be driven partly by arousal.
Psychological arousal will cause the autonomic (subconscious) nervous system to become more active – boosting social transmission. The study also found that the more positive the content on social media, the more it was shared by users.
As humans, we experience emotional contagion – the practice of mimicking the emotions we find ourselves surrounded by. This concept is rooted in social psychology theory, which suggests that we want to mimic behaviours to feel belonging to a group identity.
With this in mind, it’s extremely important to understand the behaviour of your audience, so that you can be more effective at creating social media posts that stand the test of time.